Don't worry about the main plant, it will put on new growth soon. Make sure the plant is warm & in good light. You needn't worry about where you cut a scheff back. Leaving foliage on a particular stem is unnecessary. Scheffs retain large amounts of photosynthesizing tissues in stems & produce new leaves & roots quite readily. Stem tip cuttings with all but one or two leaves removed will root quickly in perlite or a porous soil w/o the aid of a rooting hormone. Place cuttings in bright light, but not direct sun. Ideal soil temp about 70* F. Taking tip cuttings will also stimulate back-branching on that stem. You can also cut a portion of stem into 1-1/2 - 2 inch leafless pieces & just lay them atop a moist soil in bright light where they will root. Al

You're far better off to let this plant go completely dry before you water than to keep it continually wet. I wouldn't worry about pruning anything (unless it's rotted roots) until you are able to get the plant back on track. It really does sound like the plant is pretty far gone & may not be salvageable. Probably the best road to recovery, if it is to recover, would be to sink the whole planting (pot & all) in the garden or beds & lift it in Aug after it's recovered and repot. Al

I'm so sorry for your loss. Is the plant sitting in water? It looks like it is still in the foil wrap that florists use for plants. It needs to be removed so that the water can drain properly after watering.

Katieanddj, it sure sounded like the transplant blues in your first post and it's good to hear the Hibiscus seems rebounding, hooray! Depending on what type of soil medium was used for the raised bed (and how loose or fast draining it is), and what type fertilizer (liquid, granule; quantity, lasting-effects-duration) was added to the new soil at planting, my gut feeling is to say hold off on adding any new ferts. One of the main reasons is because I don't know at which elevation you are in Arizona. Here's a linky to AZ Climates to help get across what I mean by elevation levels. The drooping dealy sorta makes me wonder about what's happening at night in your area. (I haven't lived in Arizona but spent close to five years in NM --lol---is that kinda close enough to offer any tips for your Hibiscus? Arg! I don't know!) Differing elevation levels, even tho all might be categorized as zone 9, causes me to wonder about the micro-climate of your Hibiscus which seems to really want to become established. And, I don't know which variety yours is. A zone 9, at certain elevations, can be too chilly this time of year, especially as nighttime temps dip. Your hibiscus may need some protection from that, maybe moreso, than it needs anymore fertilization. My feeling is that it may need help establishing itself at the root level and the new growth appearing on the above-ground portion of the Hibiscus, will follow ---eventually. New growth might be already noticed, but I'd still hold off on adding any more fert because of the fear of accidentally burning it while its still in a stressful state; and that colder nights could foul up its emergence from stress. As the warmer nights come back to your area (depending on your elevation---lol!) with more frequency, with new growth becoming clearly evident and the described drooping (which might be caused by chillier nighttime temp) lessens down to non-existence; that means your tree is on its way to full recovery, and that'd be a better time to reconsider a fertilizer, generally speaking. Your tree is so special that I urge you to keep seeking opinion for it, and take only the advice which suits its specific needs the very best. Hey, I just got an idea and hope this link works: Pheonix average monthly temps. If you don't live in that city, put your zip code in the search box, then scroll down toward the bottom of that page, and click the light blue bar labeled "Typical Weather". By doing that, you've just armed yourself with more AZ-wise know-how! :o) lol--'course you might have that info already. One more link that might help you determine which type of Hibiscus yours is, meaning if you are unsure: tropical or perhaps not. As the nighttime temps continue for now becoming cooler, even in my area of Florida, I noticed a couple of droopy leaves on my Hibiscuses (they're around nine years old; transplanted as young ones). We had a big wind whipping prior; may have been caused by that. But getting back to fertilizers....one of my neighbors fertilizes the heck outta her Hibiscuses, bam, bang, boom, all at once, I think twice a year and they've thrived for six years. Hers are double-blooming reds. Mine are double-bloom white, and if I were to fert like her, mine would burn like crazy mad, so they much prefer less amounts of fert more often and thrive as well. Both are tropical Hibiscus, in the same zone, except receive differing sun amounts, wind patterns, and watering times. lol---That's why I recommend you to keep seeking the precise knowledge you need for your exact type of Hibiscus in its unique location. Yours has such special meaning. Hoping others will chime in with general or AZ advice. Here is a link that might be useful: This is the kind I have.